13 Chilling Halloween Reads

Halloween is upon us, and readers everywhere are scrambling for the spookiest reading list they can find. Most lists will probably feature Stephen King’s entire bibliography and generic ghost stories, but if you want a lot of diverse recommendations to choose from I believe you’ve come to the right place. Without a doubt, you’ll find something here that will chill you to the bone.

Remember to click on the Goodreads link found in every title if you find something that sparks your interest!

I could cheat and tell you to read all of Stephen King’s works (notice I didn’t include IT on this list, you’re welcome), but that wouldn’t be much fun. In this book, King showcases his unsettling ability to capture basic human fears—in this case, the loss of loved ones.

Fun fact: King had to be talked into publishing this novel because he was so horrified by the story he created.
Have fun!

This complex, terrifying tale will crawl beneath your skin—if you’re brave enough to open it. Granted, this book is not for everyone given its unique layout, but it’s worth a try if you’re craving a chill. Make sure you read this one with the lights on.

If you’re a romantic who loves a good Gothic tale, Jane Eyre is for you. This novel is chock full of creepy mansions, ghosts in the attic, frightening dreams, and a brooding Byronic hero to top it all off.

Halloween skews our views of good and evil sometimes. It correlates ugliness with evil, but, in reality, evil comes wrapped as a beautiful angel. This is the case of Oscar Wilde’s controversial novel. Another unsettling Gothic tale, Dorian Gray dissects the greatest darkness of all—human nature.

While it may seem cheap to tell you to go read all of Poe’s works, there really isn’t a short story or poem he hasn’t written that isn’t perfect for this time of year. Each is just as unsettling as the next. If you have not navigated into Poe territory yet, now is the perfect opportunity.

You may know the name, but do you know the story? Dracula is much more than the high-collared, pale-faced Transylvanian menace popular culture makes him out to be. There’s more to this vampire than what meets the eye.

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Published by Netanya Joy

I've always loved stories, both reading them and writing them. As a college freshman, pursuing a B.A. in English with the goal of making storytelling a lifelong career is the real deal. A notorious introvert, I like cats, rainy days, and avoiding anything math-related like the plague.
View all posts by Netanya Joy

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